Russell Athletic and All Pro Dad Name Four Winners for the 2014 "Always There Award"

Unsung heroes are honored with "Always There Award" for their support for high school athletic programs.

Bowling Green, Ky. (May 16, 2014) - Russell Athletic and All Pro Dad, a national charity dedicated to strengthening the relationship between fathers and their children, today announced the 2014 winners of the "Always There Award," an honor given to the unsung heroes who support high school athletic programs. The recipients are Susan Gallian (Waynesboro, Tenn.); Ronnie Herrington (Laurel, Miss.); Tricia Matthews (Willis, Tex.) and Foster St. Andre (Oakdale, La.).

The "Always There Award" was created by Russell Athletic and All Pro Dad in 2013 to reward individuals who have a positive impact on the high school athletic program in their community. After last year's outstanding response for entries, the 2014 campaign doubled the number of winners (from two to four), while expanding the pool of eligible applicants to 11 different states in the Southeastern US, including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina.

All four winners will receive a Russell Athletic prize pack and a $1,000 athletic equipment grant for their respective community's local high school. The recipients will be honored at a breakfast hosted by All Pro Dad national spokesman, former NFL Head Coach and two-time Super Bowl Champion, Tony Dungy on May 16 in Tampa, Fla.

"We are thrilled to team up with All Pro Dad for the second annual 'Always There Award,' recognizing four winners who go to such extraordinary lengths to support high school athletics," said Robby Davis, Senior Vice President General Manager, Russell Athletic. "Building a strong athletic program requires so much more than just players and coaches, and this award identifies hard working volunteers that go above and beyond for student athletes."

About The Winners

Susan Gallian is a devoted community member to Wayne County High School athletic programs in Waynesboro, Tenn., a former All-State Lady Cat who led the basketball team to its first state tournament appearance in 1974. She is one of the founding members of the WCHS Quarterback Club, which helped raise funds to build a much-needed field house for the football team. Outside of that, she volunteers many hours to operate the concession stand without pay, keeps stats at all games to help write weekly articles for the local newspaper and is instrumental in setting up team pre-game meals and after-game drinks and snacks. Susan is a dedicated athletic supporter who is always there to give an encouraging word to the person who needs it most.

Ronnie Herrington has always gone above and beyond to help out the players and coaching staff for the West Jones High School athletic department in Laurel, Miss. Each week during football season, he personally assumes the financial burden of providing food for the entire football team on Wednesday and Thursday, and delivered equipment to the team using his personal vehicle and trailer on Friday nights. Ronnie and his family have also established a scholarship fund, giving up to five deserving students an award to help pay for their first semester of college, helping out several hard working families in the community. Ronnie recognizes the rich heritage and history of West Jones High School, and wants to do whatever is necessary to continue a tradition of success.

Tricia Matthews is the glue that holds athletic programs together in Willis, Tex. Working as an art teacher in the high school, Tricia devotes the rest of her day to supporting Willis High School athletes and coaches. She drives kids to practice, provides meals to student athletes and even puts clothes on their back if they are in need. During the summer, Tricia will drive kids to summer strength and conditioning workouts and then take them to her house to make sure they get fed. Tricia has served as a true inspiration in the community, sending positive notes to coaches and players, and her presence is crucial in the Willis High School community.

Foster St. Andre, a graduate of Oakdale High School in Oakdale, La., has made it his personal goal to help the small town community's youth through athletics. Without a strong core of community volunteers, Foster coaches as many as four different teams a year for football, five for basketball, and two for softball. Foster embodies "The Warrior Way", a key motto at Oakdale High School which means to do the right thing. For many students who don't have a positive male role model in their lives, Foster is always there for countless youth through athletics, from the age of four all the way through graduation.

"We are honored to recognize these four winners, who use high school athletics to spark leadership and make a positive impact in their communities," said Coach Dungy. "Role models like Susan, Ronnie, Tricia and Foster are truly always there for their teams. We hope that these athletic equipment grants lead to more opportunities for their student athletes to succeed, both on the field and in the classroom."

From March 17 until April 28, community members from eligible states submitted names to www.allprodad.com/alwaysthere to explain in 1,000 words or less why their nominee deserved to win the "Always There Award."

About RUSSELL BRANDS, LLC

For more than 100 years, Russell Brands, LLC, has supplied America's athletes and teams with the latest innovations to help them perform at their best and is a leading supplier of apparel and team uniforms at the high school, college and professional levels. Russell's collegiate licensed products and athletic wear are broadly distributed and marketed through department stores, sports specialty stores, retail chains and college bookstores. For more information, please visit www.RussellAthletic.com, facebook.com/russellathletic, Twitter.com/RussellAthletic.

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Russell Athletic Changes the Game with New, State-Of-The-Art Shoulder Pad System

Bowling Green, Ky. (June 3, 2014) - Russell Brands, LLC today introduced "CarbonTek with OS Technology™" (patent pending), the first ever Russell Athletic® football shoulder pad system. The CarbonTek shoulder pad system, which demonstrated a significant reduction in transmitted force in comparative testing with competitive products, will provide football players with the latest evolution in protective gear. The new shoulder pad system has been tested on-field by elite athletes and undergone scientific and field evaluations by leading experts to demonstrate superior impact management, fit and performance.

The CarbonTek with OS Technology shoulder pad system was imagined, designed and engineered by Russell Athletic in conjunction with some of the best minds in protection technology, including collegiate and professional football equipment managers and training staffs as well as aerospace and automotive engineers – experts in designing strong, yet lightweight materials built to manage the effects of high speed impacts. The CarbonTek with OS Technology combines those materials with Russell Athletic's knowledge of athletic performance management products to create a dynamic new shoulder pad system that represents the latest in groundbreaking innovation from Russell Athletic.

"Russell Athletic has a long tradition of manufacturing sporting goods that push the category forward, and we are very excited about the CarbonTek shoulder pad system," said Robby Davis, Russell Athletic Sr. Vice President General Manager. "This is an important category for us and our industry. We believe there has been a particular void in innovation in the shoulder pad space. That's where CarbonTek comes in—we can utilize Russell Athletic's roots in football and dedication to quality and innovation to create what we believe is a product with superior impact management, a lower profile and a better fit for players."

At the core of the CarbonTek with OS Technology shoulder pad system are two revolutionary materials combining for a unique protective advantage: an automotive grade foam vest and a 100% carbon fiber exoskeleton. This unique design combines to offer the athlete the following product attributes:

OS Technology Compression Vest

Fabric and design hold padding close to the body for maximum protection

Russell Athletic enlisted the help of industry experts to test the CarbonTek with OS Technology including sports equipment specialists and elite football players. Sports equipment scientist, Dr. Richard Brandt, conducted a series of laboratory tests on impact forces and energy dispersion and in the process developed a new, innovative shoulder pad study (patent pending).

"We subjected the CarbonTek shoulder pad and the best alternative pads to controlled rigorous impact tests in order to determine which pad was most effective in reducing the large impact forces experienced by football players," Dr. Brandt, founder of Sports Science Inc. said. "To simulate the collisions experienced by these players, we impacted a pad-protected human torso model, appropriately modified and instrumented, with solid loads chosen to reproduce the large forces encountered in player collisions. In these tests, CarbonTek outperformed the other shoulder pads tested in all assessed aspects of impact dispersion, with the most notable finding being a more than 63% reduction in the average force felt through the CarbonTek shoulder pad system in a 600 pound impact test."

DISCLAIMER: Russell Athletic commissioned Sports Science, Inc., to develop and conduct impact testing on various shoulder pad models including the CarbonTek Shoulder Pad. While the testing indicated that the CarbonTek Shoulder Pad offered improved impact management compared to the other shoulder pad models tested, no claim is made by Russell Athletic that the CarbonTek Shoulder Pad will reduce football injuries. No shoulder pad can eliminate the risk of serious injury while participating in football. The testing measured various impact force dispersion rates based on varying levels of consistent force applied to each pad. The level of force applied was determined to be typical of the range of impact players may experience while playing a live football game, with impact force dispersion measured at an average of six-hundred pounds (600 lbs.).

Buena Vista High School Honored as Recipient of Russell Athletic's Third Annual "Fight Like Dylan Award"

After overcoming adversity, Buena Vista High School is awarded $50,000 for team uniforms and equipment.

Bowling Green, KY (Dec. 27, 2013) - Russell Brands, LLC has announced Buena Vista High School (Colo.) as the recipient of the third annual "Fight Like Dylan Award," which honors the courageous life of Dylan Rebeor, a terminally-ill player whose last wish was for new uniforms for his teammates. In honor of Dylan's character, courage and consideration of others, Russell will grant a $50,000 team uniform and equipment donation to Buena Vista High School for demonstrating determination through adversity.

The town of Buena Vista, Colo. suffered an awful tragedy in September, when a rock slide took the lives of five people on a family hike, including assistant football coach Dwayne Johnson and his wife, track and field coachDawna Johnson. Three other family members also passed away, but through Dwayne's strength and courage, he was able to save the couple's 13-year-old daughter, Gracie Johnson. The football team was understandably overcome with emotion the rest of the season but made an incredible run, finishing with an 11-1 record before falling in the CHSAA 1A Football Championship state semifinals.

"We had an extremely difficult decision this year with more than 110 quality entries for this year's Fight Like Dylan Award," said Gary Barfield, Sr. Vice President, Russell Athletic. "Buena Vista's story is truly inspiring, especially in the way that the team and community rallied around this tragedy, and showed how athletics can be a powerful motivator in the most troubling of times. We are honored to celebrate Dylan's life and the lives of Dwayne and Dawna Johnson and their loved ones through this grant to Buena Vista High School."

Dylan Rebeor, a Columbia, Tenn., native, was just 16 when he passed away Dec. 3, 2010 following an eight-month battle against cancer. Rebeor was a wide receiver on Columbia Central High School's football team, dying just hours before his team won their first state championship in 58 years. Throughout his ordeal, Dylan's commitment and dedication to his team never wavered. In fact, his final wish was for his teammates to receive brand new uniforms through the Make-A-Wish Foundation for the upcoming season. The Fight Like Dylan Award was established by Russell Athletic in conjunction with Dylan's family and coaches to celebrate Dylan's life and selflessness.

"Dylan's life may have been cut short by devastating circumstances, but he lived an extraordinary life while he was here with us," said Heather Rebeor, Dylan's mother. "We're in awe that Dylan's memory and spirit will live on through the Russell Athletic 'Fight Like Dylan Award.' Dylan truly cared about others more than himself and now his legacy will be seen across football fields, soccer fields and basketball courts forever."

New to this season, select members of the Buena Vista High School community will travel to Orlando and be recognized on-field on December 28th, 2013 at the Russell Athletic Bowl. The matchup between Miami and Louisville will kick off at 6:45 PM ET, airing on ESPN.

Previous recipients of the Fight Like Dylan grant include:

2011 Edmonson County High School (Edmonson, KY) - Edmonson's football team banded together to find success following the news of three-year starting offensive lineman Jacob Irwin being diagnosed with cancer during his senior season.

2012 Williamsport High School (Williamsport, MD) - After losing senior standout athletes Samantha Kelly and Brendon Colliflower tragically in a car accident on their prom night, both the volleyball and baseball teams went on to win the Maryland 2A State Championships the following season.

To be eligible for the "Fight Like Dylan Award," teams submitted their stories on the Russell Athletic® Facebook page explaining how their team overcame a challenge or triumphed in the face of adversity while embodying Dylan's spirit and courage in his battle against cancer. Former pro football head coach and current NBC Sports Football analyst Tony Dungy and pro football players Mark Ingram, Pierre Garcon and Colt McCoy served on the "Fight Like Dylan Award" selection committee, along with Dylan's mother, Heather, and former Columbia Central High School head coach, Vance Belew.

About RUSSELL BRANDS, LLC

For more than 100 years, Russell Brands, LLC, has supplied America's athletes and teams with the latest innovations to help them perform at their best and is a leading supplier of apparel and team uniforms at the high school, college and professional levels. Russell's collegiate licensed products and athletic wear are broadly distributed and marketed through department stores, sports specialty stores, retail chains and college bookstores. For more information, please visit www.RussellAthletic.com, facebook.com/russellathletic, Twitter.com/RussellAthletic.